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Climate projects to be considered by Combined Authority Board

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Climate projects to be considered by Combined Authority Board

At the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority Board meeting in June (8th) approval will be sought for business cases and funding allocations for seven climate focused and strategy projects.

Bids for the projects were introduced in the Combined Authority budget in December 2021 in response to the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) consultation where members of the public and key stakeholders were asked for their views on the new draft sustainable growth ambition. As a result of the consultation, six keys to unlock ambitions within the devolution deal were adopted including a focus on Climate and Nature. The aim is to restore the area’s depleted natural capital and address the impact of climate change on our low-lying area’s special vulnerabilities and encourage businesses to come up with solutions.

The projects have undergone a thorough process to ensure that they fit within the Combined Authority policy framework which involved scoring them against the newly approved six keys and contribution to the local economy alongside strategy fit and affordability. Under review from the Combined Authority Assurance Framework, all business cases have been considered to clearly contribute to these objectives well as those in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Climate Action Plan. Having been approved at the Combined Authority Board meeting in March 2022, the action plan is supporting projects, including these, which support sustainable green growth in the region.

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Board will determine the outcome of the following business cases:

  1. Care Home Retrofit project and approval of £2m. PROJECT OBJECTIVE: Retrofitting care homes to reduce climate impacts.
  2. Logan’s Meadow Local Nature Reserve Wetland Extension project and approval of £280,000. PROJECT OBJECTIVE: This project seeks to more than double the size of the LNR and create new fen, grassland and woodland habitats to help mitigate the biodiversity and climate crisis.
  3. Natural Cambridgeshire project and approval £210,000. PROJECT OBJECTIVE: Natural Cambridgeshire brings together nature and environmental organisations active in the area with representatives of academia, business and the development industry. It is delivering the Doubling Nature ambition as part of its Vision for Nature.
  4. Nature and Environment Investment Fund project and the approval of £1m. PROJECT OBJECTIVE: This project seeks to establish a fund to attract additional investment into nature-based projects, build local capacity in green investment, and deliver projects on the ground across the Combined Authority area.
  5. Net Zero Villages Programme and the approval of £1m from the subject to approval line in the MTFP. PROJECT OBJECTIVE: This project seeks to fund small-scale community-led demonstration projects to move toward the net zero emissions target or tackle climate risks, whilst also delivering co-benefits on other Combined Authority themes.
  6. Doubling Nature Metrics project and approval of the drawdown of £125,000. PROJECT OBJECTIVE: This project seeks to provide accurate data in which to measure the stated ambition of the Combined Authority and Natural Cambridgeshire to “double the amount of land devoted to nature in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough”.
  7. City Portrait project and approval of the drawdown of £80,000. PROJECT OBJECTIVE: This project seeks to help inform the strategies and interventions that will ensure sustainable economic growth and an inclusive recovery from the impacts of COVID-19.

If the projects are approved, they will move into the delivery phase where progress will be continually monitored and evaluated.

Dr Nik Johnson, Mayor of the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough said:

“These innovative projects are just what Cambridgeshire and Peterborough are calling for to help towards our net zero carbon future.  We have a responsibility to be championing and supporting projects that take us in the right direction The co-benefits of looking after our environment are painfully clear. Investing in the mitigation of climate change and protecting the local environment now will ultimately be paid back with greater green spaces to enjoy, healthier living, cheaper energy and better flood management.”